Three Brothers Lodge - The Complete Series Box Set

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Three Brothers Lodge - The Complete Series Box Set Page 18

by Morris Fenris


  Kaillar smiled, “Throw in dinner, and I can guarantee he’ll be here.”

  Justin laughed; everyone in Silver Springs knew the best way to get around Doc Matthews was through his stomach. The man loved food, and Justin had often wondered how he stayed in such good shape, eating the way he did.

  “I’m cooking steak tonight, baked potatoes with all the fixings, and some greens. I’ll call Doc as soon as I get back into the house. I promised I’d take Jessica and Becca out in one of the snow machines this afternoon. Becca is a photographer, and is hoping to catch some wildlife shots for her portfolio.”

  Mason looked at Kaillar, who was listening to the conversation about Becca. There’s more than a passing interest there. Very interesting.

  The three men headed back into the lodge half an hour later, the sound of the girls giggling uproariously over something that eluded them immediately grabbing their attention. Stopping in the doorway, they asked, “Girls? What’s so funny?”

  Justin walked over and sat down behind Jessica, pulling her back against his knees, “So who is winning?”

  That question caused more giggles to erupt. “Okay. Let me rephrase my question. Are you even playing?”

  Again, more giggles. He stood up and then shook his head at them, “I’ll let you three help each other out with the explanations then.” He kissed Jessica on the top of her head, and then sauntered off, with Kaillar right behind him.

  That left Mason alone with the three women, and he immediately grabbed one of their tea cups to see if they’d gotten into the cooking brandy kept in the kitchen. It was one of the few alcoholic beverages that could be found on the premises, and was only used very rarely.

  Jessica sobered and trailed after Justin, “See you girls later.” Becca took one look at Mason’s face, and scampered after her as if she were being chased by a pack of hounds.

  “Well! I guess that just leaves you to explain all of the laughter,” Mason told her.

  Gracie took one look at his face and then she stopped laughing, growing sober, and feeling that terrible weight from her conscience weighing her down.

  “Whoa! Stop! Whatever is going through your mind, just stop it.”

  Gracie gave him a sad look, and then lowered her eyes to her lap. “I’m trying.”

  Mason moved so that he was sitting right next to her. He carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “I know. Justin is inviting Doc up here for dinner. We all thought you might want a chance to talk to him, and getting around town right now is going to be more than difficult.”

  Gracie smiled at him and nodded, “Thank you. So, tell me about the other changes that have happened to Silver Springs. Jessica said she’s the new elementary teacher?”

  Mason released her shoulders, and spent the next hour trying to catch her up about the town and its inhabitants. Some minor things had changed while she’d been gone, but very few major things had. Silver Springs was still just a small Colorado mountain town.

  After filling her in on the important facts, he stood up and then scooped her into his arms.

  “Wait! Where are you taking me?”

  “To the kitchen. I’m making lunch, and you are going to watch and be amazed,” he predicted.

  “Oh really? This I definitely have to see.” She paused for effect, and then lowered her voice, “You’re not making a cake are you?”

  Mason tickled her ribs, and set her down at the large island. He handed her a cutting board, a knife, and a pile of vegetables. “Chop.”

  Gracie smiled and then asked, “What are we making?”

  “Chicken noodle soup and cheese sandwiches.”

  “Yum.” Gracie chopped vegetables, and watched Mason move confidently around the kitchen. She watched him add spices without measuring, and found herself smiling and relaxing in his presence.

  When the soup was all put together and left to simmer on the stove, Mason covered it, and then turned to her with a smile on his face, “Want to go play in the snow?”

  “Uhm…no! Not with this knee. I’m happy to watch from the window though, while you build me a snowman.”

  Mason grinned and scooped her back up into his arms. He deposited her in a chair facing the large picture windows, and helped her prop her knee up on the ottoman. He grabbed a bag of ice for her, and then kissed her nose, “One snowman coming up. Watch and be amazed!”

  Gracie did watch, and she was amazed. Amazed that she’d managed to survive away from this place for so long. Silver Springs was home, and she just needed to find a way to deal with the past and move forward. Like her mother had done.

  Chapter 16

  Doc Matthews didn’t need a second invite, and around 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, he arrived at the Three Brothers Lodge with a smile on his face and several questions rolling around in his brain.

  “She’s right in here,” Justin informed the older man.

  Gracie looked up from the book she’d been pretending to read to see a familiar face beaming at her from the doorway. “Doc! I’d get up to greet you, but as you can see, I’ve decided to find out what it’s like to be on the other side of the exam table.”

  Doc came over to the couch and seated himself on a side chair, barely noticing when Justin slipped away from the room. “I’ll tell you a little secret. When I was just out of my residency, I thought I had the world by the tail. Then I got too cocky and fell off a horse.”

  He laughed at himself, “I spent two weeks in the hospital with my leg in traction, and another three months hobbling around in a full leg cast. When I was finally able to start rehab, I had a much better understanding of what my patients were going through, and it changed the way I did medicine.”

  Gracie nodded her head, “I can already tell you I feel the same way. I will never prescribe a patient stay off their feet again without understanding how difficult a task that truly is.”

  Doc smiled at her and then asked a few questions about the surgery and her prognosis before inquiring, “So, how does it feel to be back in Silver Springs? You were fourteen when your parents uprooted you. A difficult time to be sure.”

  Gracie sighed, “To tell you the truth, all I’ve thought about since we left, was coming back. Part of me loves being back here. The town. The mountains.”

  “The men?” Doc questioned. “I seem to remember you and young Mason were inseparable. And he’s the one who rescued you on the mountain, correct?” When she nodded, he looked at her and then asked, “Sparks still there?”

  She closed her eyes briefly and nodded, “In some ways it’s like I never left. But…”

  Doc sat back and then sighed, “You can’t get past what you know that he doesn’t.” It was a statement and not a question.

  Gracie looked up at him in shock and questioned, “How…I mean,..”

  Doc gave her a sad look, “Give an old man a moment to clear his conscience, will you?”

  “Okay.”

  “Let me tell you another story. About a young woman who hated the simple living of Silver Springs. She had stars in her eyes, and a desire to be sought after for all the wrong reasons. She bolted from here just as soon as she could, seeking fame and fortune in the big city.

  “But as is wont to happen in such cases, she was naïve and ripe for the picking by every user she met. Fame was elusive, and fortune just a myth. She ended up buying the snake oil that was sold as a cure all for her ills. But all it brought was further destruction and addictions that ruled her life.

  “Then came the decisive moment when she had to think of someone other than herself. And she made the right choice. She came back to Silver Springs, but soon the allure of the bright lights and big city drew her back.

  “This destructive cycle continued. No matter how many times she was rescued, she was never able to abandon her yearning to be somewhere else.”

  He paused and Gracie shook her head, “That is such a sad story. Was she someone close to you?”

 
Doc shook his head, “Not in the way you’re thinking. When I first came to Silver Springs thirty-seven years ago, this young lady was eight. I watched her grow up, as I did so many young people in and around this town. When she came back home, I helped her parents try to deal with her addictions, but those were only physical things. Her mind was the real problem, and psychiatry is not my specialty.”

  “What happened to her?” Gracie asked, still not having put the pieces together.

  “She died. Alone. Probably afraid. Her choices came back to seek their revenge, and she paid with her life.”

  “Her parents must have been so sad.”

  “Fortunately, God was gracious and neither of them lived to see their daughter’s ultimate fall. See, she’d been raised in a good Christian household. Was a member of the youth group, and had parents who loved and cared for her. She even had a brother who would do anything to help her out. None of that made a difference.”

  “I don’t get how someone who was raised one way can abandon everything and go so far in the opposite direction.”

  “Have you talked with Jessica?” he inquired.

  “Just a few minutes here and there.”

  “Her parents were missionaries to South Africa. They were murdered, and she spent years running from God, blaming Him for taking her parents away from her. Blaming Him for leaving her all alone.”

  “She doesn’t seem bitter.”

  “Not today. That’s because she finally decided that the past belongs precisely there. In the past. But, I digress. There’s more to my story.

  “The young woman was like a bad apple. Even though she came home humbled and trying to do the right thing, she never let go of her desire for a different lifestyle. Over the years, there were people whose lives were sullied by her. By her actions.

  “See, this young woman’s conscience had been seared, and she no longer held to the traditional concepts of right and wrong. Black and white. And in any group of people, there are always those whose will to withstand temptation is weak and untried. It was those people that she appealed to and took down to her level.”

  Gracie was trying to understand, “She brought drugs to Silver Springs?” She wasn’t aware there was a drug problem in the small town. It wouldn’t surprise her overly much, but it would still be worrisome to her.

  “No. It wasn’t the drugs she brought; it was her addiction to personal pleasure. Her selfishness when it came to respecting marriage vows.”

  Gracie suddenly felt uncomfortable. Her father had been such a man; weak. All too willing to abandon his marriage vows for a few brief moments of pleasure. “Did these men ever get found out?”

  Doc sighed, “Some. Others went to great lengths to hide their transgressions. Even going so far as to uproot their family overnight with the mistaken notion that they could leave their actions and guilt behind just as easily.”

  Gracie looked at the older man with wide open eyes, “You knew.”

  Doc nodded his head, “I suspected. When your dad took you and your mom away so suddenly, I was sure.”

  “My dad…it was years after we left before he finally confessed to my mom and me. He told us how he’d been consumed by guilt and called things off with her. She’d been upset and taken off for Las Vegas. Where she’d died several days later.”

  “Her choice. Remember that.”

  “My father’s choice. A choice that caused Maria to rush away…”

  “She would have left anyway. It wasn’t in her nature to stay. Gracie, look at me.” He waited until she did so, “If you are carrying any guilt around for your father’s actions, you need to let it go. You can’t re-write history. You don’t deserve to live under that kind of shadow.”

  “Deserve? Did Mason or his brothers deserve to grow up motherless?”

  “Even if she’d lived, those boys would have stayed with their uncle. He loved them, Maria loved herself.”

  Mason stood in the doorway and spoke up just then, “Doc’s right, you know. My mother was the most selfish woman I’ve ever heard of.” Mason came and sat down next to her, “Is that the secret you’ve been afraid to share? That your father cheated on your mother with mine? Trust me; we’ve heard it all before. Our mother had no morals, and even less of a conscience.”

  “But, my father said that she was upset when he called the dalliance off, and that’s what sent her running back to Las Vegas. Where she died.”

  “No, sugar. Her addiction and lifestyle choices drew her back to Las Vegas. Your father was just a pawn, used by her for her own means.”

  Gracie stared at him, barely registering when Doc left the room, leaving her alone with Mason and her chaotic thoughts. “I was sure you’d hate me when you found out what my father had done.”

  “I’m hurt you didn’t trust me more, but I also understand that you’ve lived with this knowledge for a while, and didn’t truly know how messed up our mother was.” Mason looked at her and then held open his arms, “Gracie, I have never allowed my mother’s sins to affect my life. Can you do the same with your father’s sins?”

  Gracie was once again crying, sobbing actually at the sense of relief she felt. For the first time since hearing of her father’s actions, she didn’t feel guilty. Hearing Mason, as he continued to murmur to her, saying that he cared about her, and not about the actions of her father, was like a balm being applied to a fresh wound.

  “I’m sorry,” she cried against his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t have the guts to just tell you what I knew and trust you to deal with the information correctly.”

  “Don’t be. We have eight years to make up for. We are going to make up for them, aren’t we?”

  “I’d like that.”

  Mason hugged her close, and then pushed her back to tip her eyes up to meet his own. He touched her lips with a fingertip and then asked, “I gave you your first kiss. Can I give you another one now?”

  Gracie didn’t wait for him to act, she lifted her mouth towards his, meeting him as he lowered his lips to take hers in a sweet kiss full of promise and love.

  The door in her heart swung wide open, and she could honestly say she was now at home. Silver Springs was going to become her new place of residence, but wherever Mason was would always be home.

  Chapter 17

  Thanksgiving Day…

  “All right everyone. Dinner’s ready.”

  Mason scooped Gracie up and placed her in the chair that had been set at the end of the long dining table. By turning just a tad sideways, she’d be able to keep her leg elevated and still join everyone else at the table. Mason took the chair right next to her, making sure that he could easily help her if she required it.

  Gracie grinned at him and whispered, “You do realize it’s my knee that’s hurt and not my hands. Or my arms. Or my head?”

  Mason blushed, “I just have this need to take care of you. Enjoy it.”

  Gracie kissed him on the cheek, “I am.”

  Justin stood up and looked around the table. Jessica was seated to his right. Kaillar was seated to his left with Becca, Melanie and Michael rounding out that side of the table. Sarah sat next to Jessica, and Scott Taylor and his wife Chloe finished that side of the table. Their newborn baby sat on a chair between them, sleeping peacefully in a carrier.

  “Shall we say grace?” Everyone bowed their head and Justin raised his voice up, “Father, on this day of Thanksgiving, we remember the many blessings You have brought our way this past year. The relationships You’ve restored, the new ones You’ve brought into our lives.”

  “We especially offer up thanks for bringing Gracie back home to us. Now as we eat together, we ask that Your hand would stay upon us and guide us in the coming year to do Your will and help our fellow man.”

  “Amen.”

  Everyone looked up and the feast began. Gracie watched as bowls of food were passed around, and laughter seemed to be the mode of the day. She’d missed this. After leaving Silver Spr
ings, her home had become very tense and strained. Her mother had tried to make it like it was before, but that had been impossible.

  When Gracie had been offered a full-ride scholarship with room and board, she’d jumped at the chance to get away from the oppressive atmosphere of her home. But she’d been years younger than her classmates and more of an oddity and someone to be pitied than someone to hang out with. Loneliness had become the norm.

  “You okay?” Mason murmured to her, scooping potatoes onto her still empty plate.

  “Just thinking how nice it is to be here with you all. I missed this.”

  Mason smiled at her, “You’re home now and you never have to leave again.”

  “I don’t?” she teased him.

  Mason grew very serious, and then he looked down at his plate for a moment. When he looked back up, Gracie saw something in his eyes she’d never seen before. Emotion and a yearning that tugged at her heart.

  “Gracie, I know this probably isn’t the right time or place, but waiting around for that doesn’t seem to always out so well for us. So…I don’t want you to ever leave. I guess what I’m saying is, I want us to be forever.”

  Gracie watched him with tear-filled eyes. She reached up to wipe them away and laughed, “Why am I always crying around you?”

  “I don’t know, but I promise to always be there to wipe them away. What do you say? Want to stay here forever with me? Like this? Gracie, will you marry me and make it official?”

  Gracie nodded her head, happier than she’d ever been in her life. Mason tipped her chin up and kissed her, right there at the dinner table.

  When the hoots and hollers of the others in the room reached their ears, Gracie turned bright red and bit her bottom lip. Mason absorbed their teasing as his due, “We’re getting married!”

  Justin and Kaillar both got up and hugged Gracie, “Welcome to the family sweetie!”

 

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